I shaved with the Progress (standard short-handle, with the cream-colored plastic adjustor knob) last night, for the first time in more than six months. It was a great experience, and one that I'm looking forward to repeating over the next couple weeks.
I put a 70s vintage Gillette Platinum Plus in it, which seemed to be a pretty good pairing. It's my favorite blade, so I knew a little about what to expect. The razor was set to "1".
What I didn't expect (even though I've shaved with it many times before) was that I got a CCS after one WTG pass. Awesome. Almost didn't need that second pass, but I pressed on.
The second pass gave me a BBS shave that's still wearing very well, twelve hours later.
I was reminded of the good auditory feedback that you get from the razor, how clog-free the design is, and how it rinses nice and clean. Easy to hold and maneuver, it's got a smooth handle, but not a slippery one.
All that said, I have a fairly unusual Progress in a number of ways:
- my Progress is Hoffritz-branded (stamped on the cap)
- the cap on my progress just doesn't fit in the standard "notch-to-arrow" configuration. I have the notch (on the side of the cap) on one side and the arrow (on the baseplate) on the opposite side. It just doesn't want to fit together when they're on the same side.
- there is a small slope in the blade gap on one side -- not enough to be noticeable at shave time, but it's there. My guess is that the razor was dropped at some point... which may also account for the inability to match "notch-to-arrow"
Those items kind of make me want a brand-new one, but the quality of the shave, despite these oddities says that I probably don't need it.
It was a great re-acquaintance, and encourages me to celebrate this razor with the group. If you have not tried one, or are on the fence about getting one as a current-production adjustable, take the plunge!
Hope it helps,
-- Chet
I put a 70s vintage Gillette Platinum Plus in it, which seemed to be a pretty good pairing. It's my favorite blade, so I knew a little about what to expect. The razor was set to "1".
What I didn't expect (even though I've shaved with it many times before) was that I got a CCS after one WTG pass. Awesome. Almost didn't need that second pass, but I pressed on.
The second pass gave me a BBS shave that's still wearing very well, twelve hours later.
I was reminded of the good auditory feedback that you get from the razor, how clog-free the design is, and how it rinses nice and clean. Easy to hold and maneuver, it's got a smooth handle, but not a slippery one.
All that said, I have a fairly unusual Progress in a number of ways:
- my Progress is Hoffritz-branded (stamped on the cap)
- the cap on my progress just doesn't fit in the standard "notch-to-arrow" configuration. I have the notch (on the side of the cap) on one side and the arrow (on the baseplate) on the opposite side. It just doesn't want to fit together when they're on the same side.
- there is a small slope in the blade gap on one side -- not enough to be noticeable at shave time, but it's there. My guess is that the razor was dropped at some point... which may also account for the inability to match "notch-to-arrow"
Those items kind of make me want a brand-new one, but the quality of the shave, despite these oddities says that I probably don't need it.
It was a great re-acquaintance, and encourages me to celebrate this razor with the group. If you have not tried one, or are on the fence about getting one as a current-production adjustable, take the plunge!
Hope it helps,
-- Chet
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